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In the runup to the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, global progress on nutritional security and environmental sustainability has slowed. A new framework aims to help countries accelerate their ambitions, allowing them to set and monitor targets across food systems.
Increasing nitrogen (N) fertilization does not proportionally increase crop production. The integrative application of knowledge-based N management by synchronizing crop N demand with N supply is effective for enhancing crop N uptake while reducing its losses to the environment.
If people with unhealthy or typical dietary patterns in the UK were to follow the Eatwell Guide recommendations or longevity-associated dietary patterns, they would likely see substantial gains in life expectancy.
A database reveals global patterns of the abundance and diversity of bacteria beneficial to plants and predicts that these vital bacteria may be threatened by future climate change. Such information is critical to sustainably address and safeguard the globe’s growing agricultural demands.
Simple dietary changes could cut carbon footprints, but the impact on other aspects of environmental sustainability and nutrition must be carefully considered.
Public health policies can have implications beyond their intended outcomes. A causal-loop diagram for sugar-sweetened beverage taxes was developed using a systems-thinking approach, emphasizing the trajectory of different outcomes over time.
With a better understanding of the soil microbiome and its interactions with plants, designing a synthetic bacterial community may complement current agricultural practices to enhance plant performance on marginal soils.
A global assessment of agricultural production reveals a surplus or deficit of food compared to requirements for a healthy diet in many regions, flagging opportunities to reduce the coexistence of undernutrition and obesity.
Model simulations show regional disparities in the responses of national crop productions to a suite of solar geoengineering scenarios that reflect sunlight to cool Earth.
Nutrient recycling is key for the circularity and sustainability of food systems. Understanding the movement of phosphorus through trade enables better geospatial planning and highlights opportunities for more effective global phosphorus governance.
Inadequate intakes of animal-derived foods, fruits and vegetables contribute to widespread malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies in Bangladesh. Combining aquatic food with crop production can maximize the nutritional and economic output of smallholder farms.
A global-level quantitative synthesis fills current knowledge gaps on the potential effects of agricultural diversification on ecosystem services and the socioeconomic benefits of rice.
Agriculture-related air pollution in China affects human and environmental health. A county-level campaign shows it is possible to coordinate efforts among smallholders for ammonia reduction.
Dual-sensory fusion, self-powered technology has the capability to analyse triboelectric signals between liquids and solids and to gather characteristics of unknown liquids, providing a powerful solution to effective and low-cost smart taste sensing for monitoring food quality and safety.
There is further evidence that food production can respond to food price rises in the short term, potentially offsetting the effects of higher prices in households of agricultural workers. Additional research is needed, however, to identify enabling policies and conditions.
Diverse coping experiences among wheat importing nations during the Russia–Ukraine conflict highlight the value of open trade, food reserves and international assistance, while reinforcing the need for long-term, coherent investments in agricultural productivity and food systems resilience.
A framework for analysing connectivity in US food flow networks reveals locations that are vital leverage points for well-functioning domestic agri-food supply chains. Planning around these logistics hubs could help build resilience to various threats and disruptions facing food systems.
Some food is lost at the production stage or is wasted by consumers. Policies aimed at avoiding this may have rebound effects through food availability and food prices, thus requiring alternative measures.
Variations in land and water footprint accounts should not shift attention away from the potential to reduce the environmental impact embedded in food choices.
